Forest downs Gainesville Buchholz

Published: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 12:39 a.m.

Forest touched up Gainesville Buchholz starter Phoenix Sanders (5-2) for four runs, chasing the Bobcat right-hander after he retired just five batters.

Anthony Mazzurco, meanwhile, was up to his old tricks. The Forest High left-hander — who delivered veteran coach Wayne Yancey his 600th career win 11 days ago — tossed a complete game as the Wildcats knocked off Buchholz, 6-2, to move their district mark to 3-0 on the season.

The senior scattered five hits and struck out four to remain perfect on the year with a 6-0 record.

Longtime assistant coach Tony Cayson filled in for Yancey, who missed his second straight game with an illness Tuesday night. And he, like the Wildcats' veteran skipper, pointed to the effort of the gritty lefty who approached 100 pitches, but refused to give up the baseball.

“I thought Mazzurco set the tone,” Cayson said. “He got in a little jam at the end, but I thought he battled all night. He didn't want to come out of the game. He said he wanted to finish it, so we let him go a little longer than he normally does.”

Buchholz (13-5 overall, 1-2 in 7A-1) managed to load the bases and push across its second run of the game on Dakota Turner's seventh inning RBI single, but it was too little, too late for the Bobcats, who dug an early 5-0 hole.

Forest blew it open in the second when the 'Cats sent nine men to the plate. Catcher Zach Davis and first baseman Richard Legasse each delivered RBI singles at the bottom of the order, and No. 2 hitter Sam Armstrong's two-run hit capped off the four-run frame.

Freshman Kirby McMullen hit his first varsity homer off reliever Fowler Brown in the third to push the lead to 5-0.

“We're getting some help from the bottom,” Cayson said of the Wildcat lineup. “Everybody's looking for our 1-4, 1-5 guys (to do the damage), but tonight we had Kirby get a big hit and Legasse, hitting in the eight-hole, got a big hit.

“Josh (Greene) gets on for us and Sam Armstrong is swinging the bat really well. I think, collectively, the hitting is getting better at the right time of year.”

Center fielder Quinlan Washington's RBI single got the Bobcats on the board in the fifth, but Forest answered in the sixth when Greene, who had a pair of hits and a stolen base, plated Davis (two hits, two runs), with a solid RBI single.

Forest (15-2) travels to West Port tonight for a non-district game before seeing Buchholz again Friday night. Right-hander Blake Waldren (4-2, 1.29 ERA) is tabbed to start the rematch with the Bobcats in Gainesville.

<p>The battle of District 7A-1 aces lasted less than two innings.</p><p>Forest touched up Gainesville Buchholz starter Phoenix Sanders (5-2) for four runs, chasing the Bobcat right-hander after he retired just five batters.</p><p>Anthony Mazzurco, meanwhile, was up to his old tricks. The Forest High left-hander — who delivered veteran coach Wayne Yancey his 600th career win 11 days ago — tossed a complete game as the Wildcats knocked off Buchholz, 6-2, to move their district mark to 3-0 on the season.</p><p>The senior scattered five hits and struck out four to remain perfect on the year with a 6-0 record.</p><p>Longtime assistant coach Tony Cayson filled in for Yancey, who missed his second straight game with an illness Tuesday night. And he, like the Wildcats' veteran skipper, pointed to the effort of the gritty lefty who approached 100 pitches, but refused to give up the baseball.</p><p>“I thought Mazzurco set the tone,” Cayson said. “He got in a little jam at the end, but I thought he battled all night. He didn't want to come out of the game. He said he wanted to finish it, so we let him go a little longer than he normally does.”</p><p>Buchholz (13-5 overall, 1-2 in 7A-1) managed to load the bases and push across its second run of the game on Dakota Turner's seventh inning RBI single, but it was too little, too late for the Bobcats, who dug an early 5-0 hole.</p><p>Forest blew it open in the second when the 'Cats sent nine men to the plate. Catcher Zach Davis and first baseman Richard Legasse each delivered RBI singles at the bottom of the order, and No. 2 hitter Sam Armstrong's two-run hit capped off the four-run frame.</p><p>Freshman Kirby McMullen hit his first varsity homer off reliever Fowler Brown in the third to push the lead to 5-0.</p><p>“We're getting some help from the bottom,” Cayson said of the Wildcat lineup. “Everybody's looking for our 1-4, 1-5 guys (to do the damage), but tonight we had Kirby get a big hit and Legasse, hitting in the eight-hole, got a big hit.</p><p>“Josh (Greene) gets on for us and Sam Armstrong is swinging the bat really well. I think, collectively, the hitting is getting better at the right time of year.”</p><p>Center fielder Quinlan Washington's RBI single got the Bobcats on the board in the fifth, but Forest answered in the sixth when Greene, who had a pair of hits and a stolen base, plated Davis (two hits, two runs), with a solid RBI single.</p><p>Forest (15-2) travels to West Port tonight for a non-district game before seeing Buchholz again Friday night. Right-hander Blake Waldren (4-2, 1.29 ERA) is tabbed to start the rematch with the Bobcats in Gainesville.</p>